Under the Cave of Many Voices
by Keijo6
Summary: The Gang decides to return to the Cave of Many Voices on a boring evening. The trip doesn't go as planned and the seven dinosaurs and Shorty get lost in the maze of dark tunnels with an injury hindering their escape. The way out is unclear and holds potential threats...


**Under the Cave of Many Voices**

Drops of rain were beginning to fall from the darkening sky of the Great Valley. The long, clear day begun to make way for the impeding dusk but the gathering clouds were starting to give the impression of a late evening. Eventually, the raindrops started to fall on a small hill near the Thundering Falls. This was nothing new to the Valley but it brought an extra nuisance to a green spiketail.

"Spike! Hit the rock already!" Littlefoot called as he waited eagerly to Spike's hit. He was down two hits to his friend, with the same score as the guest participant, Shorty. The spring was just beginning, the last snowdrifts were slowly melting away and creating small streams of water flowing down the hills. It was the time of Bron's herd's yearly visit, being the highlight of the early year for Littlefoot and his adopted brother. It had been a year since the unfortunate accident at the Fire Mountain, marking the first reunion the two siblings had had since those days.

"The ground's too wet! The boulder cannot even roll anymore, nope nope nope!" Ducky said as she noted Spike's futile attempts to make the boulder roll down the hill. It barely twitched in the wet ground, leaving no hope of Spike being able to try to hit the pine cones. Littlefoot looked at Spike's efforts and finally resigned to reality.

"Aww, you're right. There's no way we can finish the game now." Littlefoot looked at the others, as if to ask their opinion about the situation.

"The skywater's growing stronger. Maybe we should just head for home." Cera said in a low tone, disappointed by the worsening weather. It wasn't too often Shorty was able to join them. It would be a shame to waste the evening hiding from the rain in their nests.

"Must we? Surely there's something we can do…" Chomper said in a fearful voice in opposition to Cera's proposition. The young sharptooth wasn't one to give up the chance of having fun if there was any chance for it.

"Are you afraid of skywater? I've never…" Shorty started in his old aggressive style but he quickly backed down. Ever since his failed "leadership" during Littlefoot's Big Longneck Test, he had tried to tone his boasting. He had never really apologized for the incident but the others had never asked for it. Even with the unfortunate encounter, they still accepted him as a temporary member of the Gang during his rare visits.

"I mean… It's just water. We've never paid it a thought to it in Bron's herd. It isn't too often I'm here, after all." The seven other young dinosaurs exchanged glances, trying to come up with an idea. The wind was rising and its whooshes were growing louder by the minute. After a moment, Ruby begun to speak with an excited voice.

"Remember the cave we found last fall? The one with the talkbacks? I'm sure the coming storm will cause big voices in there. And because it's a cave, it won't rain there! And if it doesn't rain, we will not get wet!" Ruby said in her usual way of talking, happy about her own idea.

Littlefoot looked at her for a moment until he remembered what Ruby was talking about. His smile widened as he recalled the events during their previous visit there.

"The Cave of Many Voices! You're right! That's a great idea!" Littlefoot turned to his adopted brother and explained the situation.

"You wished to see the Great Stone Walkover? It's not the only thing to see here. Prepare for another treat…" He ended cryptically, leaving Shorty with a curious look. The trip to the Great Stone Walkover had mostly been fueled by his will to show off his leadership to Littlefoot's friends but Shorty had a genuine interest to explore new places. There was no shortage of them for a Farwalker like himself in the Mysterious Beyond but the Great Valley was a different place…. Much safer and at first, much more boring. That's why he was so grateful to the others for forgiving his initial antics. Even though he had led a highly different life than the Gang, he still shared many of their passions.

"Well then, let's go! Let's see what you've found…" Shorty said in exaggerated enthusiasm. Chomper was the first one to head for the Secret Caverns as he was exhilarated to show his find to another dinosaur. The others followed him shortly, each of them eager to escape the rising storm.

* * *

One of the openings to The Secret Caverns was on a cliff overlooking the central parts of the Great Valley. The opening, though, was rather small and unremarkable to most of the Valley residents: it's small size and relatively rough road there made the cliff unreachable to anyone expect the smallest or youngest of dinosaurs. Even more so now, because the wind was blowing right at the cliff.

"Hurry! Get in the cave before the wind gets even stronger!" Littlefoot tried to yell through the roaring wind. The others, except Petrie who was sitting on his head to his fear of being blown away, couldn't hear his words but they could guess their meaning. The beating rain nearly blinded them but luckily they knew the way very well due to Ruby and Chomper living in them. After a struggle that seemed to go on for minutes on end, all eight of the children managed to enter the cavern, leaving each of them panting heavily.

"Well, that escalated quickly!" Cera snorted as a flash of sky fire briefly illuminated the cave. She tried to shake most off the water off her, with limited success.

"At least we're now here which means we're not there! Ruby said grumpily, annoyed that her feathers seemed to have drained half of the water outside. The others chuckled slightly as they saw her plumage still drooping down after all of the others had dried up. The fastrunner looked at them angrily at first but soon joined their laughter.

"Me sorry Ruby but you just look hilarious!" Petrie exclaimed in laughter as Shorty started to speak.

"Where is this "Cave of Many Voices"? This looks nothing out of the ordinary to me." The green longneck's voice was skeptical about their destination but the others had never given him a reason for distrust.

"Oh, just follow me, I know the way, I hope!" Chomper said as he waved the others to follow him.

"I hope?" Shorty asked with a somewhat confused voice. Ducky joined the conversation in order to avert an awkward situation for Chomper.

"It is here, it is, it is, but this place is huge! It might take a try or two but we'll find it, Shorty." A giant sky fire struck near the cave, causing shivers flowing through each of the Gang as they ventured deeper into the tunnel.

* * *

The walls of the Secret Caverns were partly very shallow, leaving many small holes here and there, causing ghastly whistling whispering throughout the dark tunnels. Usually those small windows brought light into them but now only blackness and water entered the caverns through them. Nevertheless, it did little to dampen the spirits of the eight young dinosaurs, willing to once again see one of the unquestionable landmarks of the Great Valley.

But these caves brought also shivers to each of them, with the exception of Shorty. It was in these caves that they had first met the most ferocious sharptooth since their first journey many year ago, the highly feared Red Claw. It was with the help of the Cavern's loud talkbacks that they had managed to scare him away and even with the sealing of the doorway leading to the Mysterious Beyond, a certain amount of unease still flowed inside the seven friends. The caverns were an extensive network of tunnels, no one knowing where all of the led.

"The entrance to the Cave was through a tiny hole, right?" Chomper asked, his voice confirming his intention of only confirming the detail. Cera shrugged slightly before she answered.

"There we have a great memory…." Cera taunted in a dry voice to Chomper's slight chagrin. The tunnel was branched to two different tunnels, stopping the group for a moment.

"Which way we go? It too dark to see!" Petrie spoke in a concerned voice. Littlefoot took a look at the two tunnels and tried to recall the way forward. In a daylight, any of the Gang could find their way to the Cave but the darkness hindered their efforts to remember the way. His thoughts, however, were cut short by a sudden, loud wailing from his left. Petrie screamed and flew against the wall in panic. Others listened in horror as the voice disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"What… was that?" Cera asked with a trembling voice, peering into the tunnel in fear. The only voice that came from there was a slight gurgling sound caused by the streams in the walls.

"Whatever it be, we must leave! It coming here!" Petrie cried from the cavern floor where he was recovering from the hit. Littlefoot, however, calmed down considerably after a moment. His expression turned from confused to an almost amused one.

"I don't think it's anything dangerous. Remember when we scared Red Claw away? That voice seemed to have a similar sound like our voices back then!" He exclaimed slightly hesitating. He found his words highly probable but he wanted to make sure he was correct.

"But what was that voice? Even with a talkback, there must a talker! Otherwise, there would be no sound at all!" Ruby asked in a concerned voice, not completely believing Littlefoot's explanation.

"Whatever it is, it's no sharptooth. Are you all just scaredy-eggs?" Shorty asked in determined voice, looking at the others with an inquisitive expression. Cera glanced at him in clear annoyance but said nothing. He didn't want to end up in an argument with the longneck.

"Very well, let's go!" Shorty turned on his heels and headed towards the source of the voice. Cera snorted heavily and was the first one to follow the green longneck. All of the others joined the two, Petrie being last. As he rose from the floor, he muttered under his breath. His voice was more like a whimper but it was too quiet to be heard by the others.

"Me could well be a scaredy-egg if me didn't have to go there…"

* * *

The water was streaming down the walls of the dark cave, purling slightly as they started to form small ponds in the floor. Apart from them, the only thing that could be heard was the heavy breathing of the eight dinosaurs hoping there was no one in caverns beside them. The atmosphere brought anxiety upon them but they had been through far too much to be too concerned, apart from Petrie. All their lives they had led lives of adventure with a constant threat of injury or even worse. Moreover, a dark cavern wasn't something they hadn't seen before: the cave where they had first met Ichy and Dil still brought shivers down their spines. The silence was broken by Chomper's sudden call.

"This is it! This is the entrance to the Cave of Many Voices!" Chomper suddenly called in the darkness. Sounds of joy could be heard in the group as they entered the hidden hall one by one. This was their destination without a doubt: the hundreds of small grooves in the opposing walls were profound even in the current, dim lighting.

"So this is it? What is so spec…" Shorty's question was cut short by an ear-wrenching wail from in front of him, much louder and longer than the one they had heard before. All of the eight dinosaurs begun to cower to the ground when the voice suddenly stopped.

"What can cause such a voice?" Shorty asked in deep confusion. Littlefoot moved closer to the grooved wall, trying to come up with an explanation. He looked at the furrows and noticed that a few of them were hollow. He could feel a rather powerful whirl coming from them. The voice seemed to have an explanation after all.

"It's just a trick of the wind. The wind somehow makes its way here and this cave increases it! This cave never ceases to surprise…" Littlefoot concluded as the others watched him in relief. Shorty looked at his brother in surprise, surprised by the magnitude of the cave's properties. Suddenly, he jumped forwards and cried "The Cave of Many Voices!" The voice could then be heard repeating in the cavern's walls, multiplying Shorty's voice greatly. The others joined quickly, with shouts of treestars, Seek and Hides and various herd names ringing throughout the wide hall. The calls were followed by laughter as the cave held as much joy as it had in the previous time. The fact that the entrance Red Claw had used was now sealed by the giant boulder enabled them to once again enjoy the talkbacks fully.

"This place's awesome. I've never seen anything like it…" Shorty said among the laughter that also echoed through the dark, wet walls.

"This is just one of the many landmarks we've found here. The areas around the Valley hold even more wonders, they do!" Ducky exclaimed happily.

"There are even others? Are they as great as this one?" Shorty said in an exited voice.

"Even more so! Meadow of Jumping Waters and Saurus Rock, for example! And then there was Canyon of Shiny Stones before it was buried by the Smoking Mountain…" Chomper said, gritting his teeth at the memory.

"What?" Shorty asked in a stunned voice. A whole canyon buried here, in the Valley? What else was there he didn't know about?

"It was a terrifying day but we survi…" Littlefoot's answer was cut short by another sudden, this time lower but louder roar from the cavern walls. He jumped in sudden fear as he was completely fixated on remembering the days gone by. The consequences were unfortunate. The longneck's right hind leg landed on a sharp, narrow rock, ripping a long wound into it. His cry filled the hall as he collapsed into the ground due to the stinging pain caused by the gaping cut and an apparently sprained leg.

"Littlefoot! Are you alright?" Ducky asked as she hurried to his side. She quickly saw his condition which didn't dissipate her concerns at all.

"I… don't think so. This should probably be treated soon." The brown longneck panted as he took a look at his leg. His voice was intermittent and it was apparent that the longneck's injure was a nasty one.

"Can you walk?" Ruby asked fearfully. It would be a huge challenge to try to get him out should the leg rid him of his capability to walk. Littlefoot winced heavily as he tried to rise to his feet. He failed two times until he managed to regain his footing. His expression communicated deep agony but he answered in a near normal even if forced voice.

"I… I think so. I cannot walk for long but I'll do my best." His voice broke near the end and the seven other dinosaurs looked at him in deep concern. They knew that they would have to leave the cave quickly. The wound in the longneck's leg seemed gruesome and it had to be bandaged soon. The low, thundering voice once again rose in the hall, causing the eight children even more distress. The small streams of water grew only larger by the minute, beginning to merge into larger bodies of water. It seemed surreal how they and the wind found their way into the caves.

* * *

It didn't take long for the eight friends to find their way back through the tunnels. They were hopeful that soon they could return home. After Littlefoot's accident, the shadows seemed to darken around them and the blackness starting to get strange, fearsome meanings. The whole trip's atmosphere was starting to get threatening feel to it. Petrie's sudden, scared announcement did little to relieve it.

"This be a dead end! There be a wall here!" Cera moved forward to take a look at Petrie's "find". Her voice was starting to get agitated as she answered.

"What do you mean? We know this is the…" She stopped as the surprising sight opened in front of her. A wall rose before her, spelling the end of the tunnel. Ducky's stunned voice echoed the feelings of each of the assembled dinosaurs.

"We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, we have… It'll take a long time for us to find our way out now." The initial shock was soon overcome by Littlefoot's first sentence since leaving the Cave of Many Voices.

"There are dozens of tunnels here and there's no telling where they'll lead. The exit cannot be far from here so don't go too far. Chomper, can you smell the way out?" The longneck's voice was tired but clear at the same time. The sharptooth shook his head and answered in an apologizing voice.

"I cannot, Littlefoot. These caves smell as stuffy everywhere and there's no one here besides us. There isn't anything to smell."

The first one to speak after him was Ruby, seemingly concerned but hopeful of finding the exit in another way.

"Then it's best for us split up. We should probably go in pairs…. One of them must remember the way they came. The Secret Caverns could be a treacherous place." She emphasized her point at the last comment, having some experience of the caves due to living near its mouth. Chomper nodded swiftly and continued.

"I guess we know who goes with who. Let's return here as long as we know our way isn't the right one." The young sharptooth's voice was unusually serious due to the unfolding events in front of him. Whatever happened, Littlefoot had to receive help soon.

* * *

Cera and Petrie chose the tunnel to their left, the one they least expected to lead anywhere. Yet, they had no idea where their original destination was so there was no telling where they were supposed to go. Ducky and Spike chose the way back towards the Cave of Many Voices, in case they had missed the tunnel they were supposed to go. Ruby and Chomper, on the other hand, headed to the tunnel further to their right, exploring its contents. Shorty was left to keep company to Littlefoot, in case something unexpected would happen.

* * *

"Do you think this is the right way, Ruby?" Chomper asked, looking at her in a fearful way. Ruby answered with a similar voice even if her face didn't communicate any emotion.

"It might be, Chomper. I would have never thought we'd be lost in the Secret Caverns but here we are. But don't worry, we'll find our way out. I'm more worried about Littlefoot…"

Chomper bowed his head, thinking about what would happen if they had to wander these tunnels for hours on end… After a few moments, he tried to bring up something positive about the situation.

"At least there's no Red Claw this time…" Ruby sighed deeply and answered in a concerned voice.

"Hopefully there is nothing else either…" Chomper glanced at the fastrunner, confused at what she meant.

"What do you mean? Who else could be here besides us?"

"In the Mysterious Beyond deep caves are seldom uninhabited. I've heard of bellydraggers or some other sharpteeth living in them… But then again there might be some nice creature like Skip. But there's no telling until we actually meet them." Ruby had told Chomper about her journey to Hanging Rock. Chomper was initially crushed to have missed it but he soon reconciled with the fact. The blue sharptooth swallowed heavily as he contemplated Ruby's words. Meeting a bellydragger here was the last thing he wanted.

* * *

"Cut it out, Petrie! You're scaring me more than this place!" Petrie's clanking teeth and never-ending groaning was really starting to get to Cera's nerves. The mess they found themselves in was only made worse by the flier's antics. Petrie answered after a moment in a broken voice.

"The water in the walls make the shadows move! How could Petrie be calm around them!" Cera turned her head to look at Petrie who was riding on her back. Her expression communicated no anger but also wished no objections.

"I can see them too in case you didn't realize. The sooner we can find an opening we can get out of here. So calm down and be helpful. We cannot hesitate when one of us is hurt." Cera's voice softened at her last words, calming Petrie down somewhat. He had known the threehorn long enough to know her reconciliatory antics. The brown flier couldn't hide his panic but he tried to appear more calm for Cera's sake. He just could never get used to these situations.

The tunnel started to head down steeply to the duo's surprise. Both of them knew there wasn't this kind of descent on the way out but there was no harm taking a look if there was an additional exit. It wasn't like there was anything better to do while the others were searching the two other tunnels. The path headed down and down for minutes on end until the two begun to think about returning to check if the others brought better news.

However, something in the distance caught Petrie's eye. It seemed like a tiny shimmer of light, reflected from a black wall that marked a slight turn in the tunnel's direction. There were few chances for the small ray's source. There was an opening nearby!

"You see that, Cera? There be light!" Petrie asked his friend who squinted her eyes in order to see what the flier meant. After a moment, she answered in elation.

"You're right! I wonder where we are though. We've never been this deep in these caverns before… Well, only one way to find out." The threehorn sprinted towards the light, eager to find an exit from the maze of endless tunnels. When she approached the turn, she got ready to breathe the fresh air after almost an hour of stuffy cave air. The sight that greeted her was nothing like she expected and it sank her heart. Her own shock was accompanied by Petrie's whimpering.

* * *

"Can you see anything, Spike?" Ducky whispered to her adopted brother. Thus far their search had been rather uneventful, as the cave had held no opening they had missed. It seemed like searching your Starday star in a season where it was buried behind the mountains surrounding the Valley. The storm outside seemed to have reached its peak as its roars could still be heard from the cave of Many Voices. It must be twice as loud as it had been before because the two siblings were many tunnels and turns away from it. The storm must be tearing trees by their roots outside and breaking any shelters the dinosaurs might have found. Their parents must be worried sick for the duo's safety and it brought the two additional guilt. But it couldn't be helped now. Littlefoot needed their help.

The spiketail shook his head, and continued to search the walls. Somewhere had to be a small opening that would help them find the way out. Ducky was resigning to the possibility that their cause was futile until she was knocked off from Spike's back. A powerful gust of wind from behind her hit the swimmer with a surprising force, making her hit the wall to her right. Ducky seemed a bit dizzy at first when her eyes met Spike's alarmed look. She soon muttered slowly words that relieved her brother somewhat.

"Ouch, that hurt… I'm fine Spike, I am… But what happened?" Spike headed for the opposing wall and grunted his answer. There was a small opening there, one that would have been hard to find due to its narrow size and the great width of the tunnel at this part. A smile appeared on the swimmer's face as she saw the opening.

"That's what we were looking for! Let's confirm the way and let's return to Littlefoot! His wound has hardly closed yet…"

* * *

Shorty looked at the ground, frustrated by his inability to help Littlefoot. After all, they had only come here because of him. He could never have believed their trip would come to this. Littlefoot lied in front of him, gritting his teeth in pain. The bleeding in his leg had decreased somewhat but it hadn't closed up completely and his leg was still in a painfully awkward angle. His brother was clearly in pain and there was nothing he could do to help him. At most, he could try to make his thoughts turn away from the pain.

 _He doesn't deserve this. Why did I have to insist on doing something? I always mess things up while I'm here…_

"Our friends will find the way out, Littlefoot. Don't you worry about it." Shorty spoke in an unusually reassuring voice. It was clear he wanted nothing less than to cause anymore mayhem. Littlefoot turned to look at the green Longneck and answered slowly.

"They surely will. I know I can trust them. I just hope they'll return soon." Littlefoot's eyes communicated his painful condition but he kept it all to himself. There was no reason to pass his troubles on to Shorty. The latter answered quickly, determined to keep on going with the conversation.

"I could have very well died hadn't it been for them. They saved me while you were doing the Big Longneck Test." Shorty had never told Littlefoot of the accident because of his shame of that day. That had happened a year ago and he figured that it was probably time to tell him about the accident. Littlefoot's eyes widened as he looked at Shorty's waiting face.

"They did? So there happened more on the trip than I knew… I was only told that you didn't know the way to the Great Stone Walkover and got lost." Shorty chuckled at his brother's words, happy to hear that the Gang had saved him from telling Littlefoot the truth.

"Well, let's just say that my leadership was a disaster. I could even hear Petrie hoping you were there in my place. Back then I was so full of myself that I couldn't see past my own bossing." Shorty had never spoken of the matter this openly and he imagined it wouldn't happen again anytime soon. Littlefoot turned quickly towards him with a shocked expression.

"Petrie said what? I was told that you weren't the most cooperative person that day but that's no way to speak about anyone. I guess I'll have to exchange some words with him." Littlefoot's voice was angry at the flier's words and it could also be seen in his face.

"Don't be too mad, Littlefoot. I don't blame him or the others for that day. I'm actually still surprised that even you accepted me as a friend, let alone a brother. In your place I certainly wouldn't have…" Shorty spoke in a guilty voice. Littlefoot answered with a distant voice.

"I've seen enough bullies and jerks in my lifetime but most of them had their reasons. In the end, I guess I was so ready accept you because you of your closeness to dad. But even more… I had hoped for a brother a long time." Littlefoot said in a hesitating voice. There were some things that apparently were supposed to be left to moments of anguish such as this. Shorty looked at his injured brother and smiled widely. Apparently he meant even more to Littlefoot than he could have ever thought of.

* * *

Cera looked wide-eyed at the sight before her. In the giant hall below the Secret Caverns opened a full-blown lake, its black waters rippling against the dark walls. But it wasn't the lake itself that stunned her but the thing that could be faintly swimming in it. Beneath the ebony waves moved a giant swimming sharptooth, its eyes immediately fixating on the two friends standing at the lake's shores. Cera was greatly startled as the beast quickly begun to swim towards her. Instinctively, Cera turned on her heels and begun to flee towards the tunnel.

"It coming right at us! Run!" Petrie whispered in a panicking voice. Cera answered in as silent voice as she could.

"Great idea… Who knew such a thing could live here…" Cera begun to back down towards the tunnel but at the giant swimmer hit the wall with its tail, causing huge tremors across the cavern. To Cera and Petrie's great horror, the cave they had come from started to collapse before their eyes. Despite her fervor to flee, she could see immediately that she would never reach the tunnel's end before she would be crushed by the falling boulders. The threehorn inhaled deeply as she saw her escape route being blocked by a mass of stone. Cera felt panic rise within her when he turned around to face the lake again. This time, the waters seemed still but she knew what was waiting in its waters. After a moment of panicked thoughts, she finally found the strength to speak. Her voice was unusually meek and fearful but Petrie didn't even realize it. The poor flier was trembling at the thought of being trapped in the same cave with the monster.

* * *

"Ruby… did you hear that?" Chomper asked in clear concern. It was as if another flash of skyfire had hit the areas near the Secret Caverns but the voice was much longer and seemed to come below them.

"I'm not sure if I did, Chomper. I'm not a sharptooth so I cannot hear as well as you. What was it?" Ruby asked in hesitation. She thought she had heard something but she wasn't sure.

"Something rumbled beneath us. It must have been something big… but there's no way to tell whether our friends are in danger!" Chomper spoke fearfully, trying to come up with something to investigate the matter.

"Then let's take a look. Try to show the way as well as you can!"

* * *

"Petrie… Could you please see if there's another route to escape?" Petrie didn't answer at first after which there was a sharper question from Cera.

"Calm down! There are likely to be more tunnels from this damned cave! Don't freeze now!" Cera snorted heavily after her words and Petrie finally answered.

"But the swimming sharptooth catch Petrie in the air! Me never able to dodge its attacks!" Cera answered with a sigh but her words were sincere.

"You have tricked every sharptooth you have met when you've tried. And the cave's high enough for you to have space to fly!" Petrie shuttered for a moment but he had to admit Cera was right. He was the only one who could find a way to escape and this was no place to back away. With a hesitant voice, the flier finally gave his answer.

"Okay. Me try…" Petrie jumped from Cera's back and took off into the air. He felt extremely sickened by the situation and the trembled as he rose to the air above the lake. Somewhere in the black waters beneath him was a monster that could eat him in a heartbeat. Petrie swallowed heavily as he headed towards the other side of the hall. There were tiny pathways along the sides of the cavern but using them would very probably prove to be perilous. Yet, there was no other option for Cera.

Petrie saw at the opposite side of the lake a surprising sight. A great waterfall poured its waters to the cave, explaining the existence of the body of water this deep underground.

 _Perhaps that be the same waterfall we saw on our first trip here? A shame Cera can't use that way…_

"Petrie, look out!" Cera's scream alerted the flier immediately and he immediately increased his altitude. He breathed deeply as he saw the monster's jaws close only a few meters below him. The brown flier quickly resumed his search and begun to search the walls in search of an opening, all the way keeping an eye on the water in case the monster tried something again. The flier didn't want to try how many more of its attacks he could dodge.

Petrie's efforts were rewarded by the sight of a black opening in the dark wall. It was large enough for Cera to fit in and it wasn't too far from her. If there was a chance for her to escape, this would be it. The flier quickly returned to Cera who looked at her in anger.

"Don't ever again fall into your thoughts while there's a sharptooth nearby! You almost got eaten!" The threehorn hissed under her breath. Petrie dismissed the Cera's words and started to relay his findings.

"There a small tunnel to your right. If you can reach it, you may be able…"

"And if I don't?! The swimming sharptooth gets threehorn for supper?" Cera's voice was more fearful but it also carried distinct rage but not as much at Petrie as the whole evening. How did their innocent trek turn into this nightmare?

"Uhhh… that be our best chance. I'll try to lure the monster far from here before you go. I'll flap my wing, like this, when you can go." Petrie said as he flapped his wing deep below him, causing him a short surge below which could be seen as a surprising turn to an outsider. Petrie's earlier panic was still apparent in his voice but he was determined to help his friend escape the dark trap.

"But why would that… thing follow you again? Doesn't in notice what we're up to?" Cera knew the answer already but the coming endeavor caused deep horror within the threehorn. Of all the sharptooth she knew, the swimming ones were the ones she feared the most. Petrie merely sighed and answered in a frighteningly serious voice for him.

"Me do me best. You will make it." And with those words, Petrie took off and flew to the lake without giving Cera a chance to answer. There was no reason to prolong this ghastly situation. The flier glided dangerously close to the water, making him vulnerable to attacks from below. He watched nervously around him, trying to spot the hostile dark form below him. For many seconds he would see nothing but when the attack came, it came in an instant. Petrie flew quickly forwards, feeling the flashing water falling down upon him. He flew to his right in order to escape the monster's falling body. While doing it, he quickly flapped his wing and saw Cera starting to run towards the cave opening.

Cera's heart felt like it was going to explode. The threehorn watched in horror the sharptooth fall back under the water. She didn't even want to contemplate the scenario where it had noticed her run. Petrie quickly dived towards the surface, trying to provoke another attack. However, he watched in horror as the predator disappeared beneath the waves. The seconds felt like years to Cera, the feeling of the threat of instant death grapping her whole body. For a long time, nothing happened. The lake was completely still and she was making a good distance in the slippery pathway. She even caught the sight of the tunnel Petrie had spoken about. But at the hearing of Petrie's yell, her heart sank in an instant.

"Cera! It coming after you!" The threehorn looked in horror as the sharptooth emerged from the water, towering above her as it bowed down to finish her. Cera jumped back, slightly dodging the monster's attack. The whole pathway shook at the giant's hit and for a moment the threehorn feared the whole shore would collapse. However, her way had been cut and there was no way the monstrous sharptooth wouldn't catch her.

"It's here where the collapse had to happen! We're close!" Chomper exclaimed as he and Ruby ran towards the source of the voice Chomper had heard.

"We're far below the Secret Caverns! How could any of the others have found here?" Ruby asked in frustration. The whole run down to the bottom of the cave system didn't help after the terrifying evening. Moreover, if any of their friends were in danger, she wanted to reach them as soon as possible.

"I don't know! But I heard what I heard!" Chomper said as the duo saw a new opening in front of them. Behind it opened a vast blackness, water and…

"Aaaaah!" Ruby froze as she heard the scream. She sprinted to an even faster sprint and yelled.

"That's Cera! She's in danger!" The fastrunner's voice was panicked as she run towards the cry. The sight that greeted her stopped her and Chomper on their heels. The monstrous predator's shadow was painted in the surrounding blackness, forming a nightmarish image over the cowering threehorn. She had nowhere to run and she wouldn't survive long under the sharptooth's onslaught. Petrie seemed powerless to stop the predator even if he tried to taunt and harry the beast. Ruby and Chomper knew there was no time to hesitate. In a few, fleeting moments Cera would find herself in the monster's belly.

The two resumed their charge towards the attacker, knowing that it might spell the of them if things went badly. However, there was no choice at this point. They had to divide the sharptooth's attention to buy Cera a fleeting chance. Chomper tried to let out a demeaning roar but it once again died in his throat to a comic whimper. It, however, was enough for the attacker to take a look at the newcomers. Cera also glanced at them, the joy emanation from her face.

"Ruby! Chomper! How are you here?" The threehorn asked in the moment of relief the two had bought her. However, the answer never came as the predator resumed its attack. It tried to hit Cera with its left fin, making it easier for the predator to swallow its prey later. Petrie, however, landed on the monster's face and tried to tear it open. The sharptooth didn't notice him at first but it grew increasingly agitated. Ruby and Chomper reached Cera's side and started make the attacker to divert its efforts. At first, it started to hit the places where the fastrunner stood and only afterwards it resumed its attack on Cera. Meanwhile, Petrie's efforts started to pay off. The swimmer started to yank its head and try to force the flier to take off. Petrie gritted his teeth and grabbed the snout even tighter. This forced the sharptooth to concentrate all its efforts to the flier and the three other dinosaurs realized their time had come. They sprinted towards the exit as the predator struggled to free itself of the fliers' constant attacks.

However, the giant swimmer soon realized what was happening. It immediately submerged again, finally forcing Petrie to end his attacks. Ruby heard the splash caused by the splash and understood that a new attack was soon upon them. The escape was only dozens of meters away… The dark opening was the only thing she could see in her horrified state, trying to ignore the threat in the waters behind her. But those hopes and fears were misplaced. Far too soon, the fastrunner heard the splash and Petrie's horrified shriek. Once again, the cave walls shuttered as the giant's body hit against it. This time, however, the damage spread to the pathway. The ground beneath Chomper broke and sent the little biter down into the lake's deadly waters.

"Chomper!" Ruby cried as she saw her friend floundered in the water. Instinctively, she headed towards the sharptooth as the monstrous predator recovered from the it. Once again, Petrie landed on the creature's head, this time right before its right eye.

"You no hurt Chomper or Cera. We escape from you already!" The swimmer had had enough. It forgot the others completely and focused all its efforts on the hapless flier. Petrie quickly dived near the water in order to confuse the sharptooth and escape its attacks. At this time, Ruby returned to the shore with Chomper and the three resumed their run for the tunnel. Petrie smiled as he saw that the others would make it. However, _he_ would still have to escape the danger. He turned quickly and headed towards the tunnel.

Chomper looked at Petrie's flight with a feeling like his heart would jump to his throat. The flier had managed to fool the sharptooth thus far but it would take only one mistake for the swimmer to finish its small adversary. Petrie was already heading towards the others, determined to escape his persecutor quickly. The swimmer seemed to realize its game was lost but it took one more attempt to end the flier. It raised its fin and jumped quickly forward, hitting Petrie into his back. The flier lost his balance and thought he was done for. However, to his surprise he soon heard an excited voice calling for him.

"Petrie! You did it!" The voice was Cera's but Petrie could see nothing. The dizziness in his head was still prevalent but he had survived.

"H… how? Me thought it got Petrie…" The flier muttered as he rose to a sitting position.

"Hah! The sharptooth's hit threw you here! You were lucky but still alive!" Chomper told as a wide smile appeared on his face. Despite all odds, they had escaped the sharptooth's clutches and with luck, the cave exit had already been found. It was time to head for home.

* * *

"What? We turned to a wrong direction at the first turn we took?" Littlefoot asked in astonishment as Ducky told about the way out. It had taken dozens of long minutes but Ducky and Spike had found a way out.

"Yep, yep, yep! The darkness only led us here. We know the way out, we do!" Ducky laughed as she told about her findings. Littlefoot was happy to hear that his leg would soon be bandaged and able to rest. The long evening was ending. The only question was where were Cera, Petrie, Ruby and Chomper? They hadn't returned from their respective searches.

"Maybe we should call for the others… Hopefully they're alright…" Littlefoot proposed as Ducky's face fell slightly. The others should be back already…

"But they could be anywhere! Our voices don't carry far in here!" Ducky's voice communicated deep concern for her friends which was echoed by Spike's grunts. Littlefoot had to admit that she was right but for now, there was little sense in parting to search for them.

"Let's try at first. If they don't return soon, we'll have to go look for them. They might have gone missing in the tunnels…" Littlefoot notified as Shorty and he exchanged glances. Shorty would go in Littlefoot's stead.

"Cera, Petrie! Where are you?"

"Chomper! Ruby! We've found the exit! Come back!" Shorty and Ducky called in the tunnels they had gone to. They continued for many minutes until they decided to stop and wait for an answer. They would wait for a moment for answers before they would venture into the tunnels, searching for their four missing friends.

"That's Ducky! She's calling for us!" Ruby said to the others who came after her. The fastrunner's exclamation raised the spirits of the three others, with Chomper being the first one to answer.

"You're right! She's not even far away… Let's go! They've found the way out!" Cera and Petrie's smiles widened at the words but the encounter with the sharptooth had drained all of their energy. Nevertheless, they quickened their pace in order to reach the swimmer sooner. Each of the steps felt like a relieving journey to the rescue, especially after the swimming sharptooth and the endless wandering in the dark, stuffy tunnels for hours. Whatever the weather outside, it would be a welcome sight to the four dinosaurs.

"There they are! They're alright, yep, yep, yep! Where were you?" Ducky cried as she run towards the approaching quartet of exhausted friends. Shorty and even Littlefoot all arrived to greet the new arrivals but their faces fell as they heard Cera's tired and blunt answer.

"Nowhere in particular. Just getting lost down there and almost getting eaten by a swimming sharptooth." The expression in Cera's eyes told that the threehorn didn't want further answers for now. Petrie, too, seemed fatigued. There would be time to retell today's events. For now, it was time for the well-earned sleep and to relieve their without a doubt concerned parents.

"There's a sharptooth here?" Shorty whispered to his brother in confusion and fear. Littlefoot's expression told him that he didn't know any more than he did.

"I don't know. She spoke of a swimming sharptooth so there must water down there… We've never before visited those parts before. Shorty's answer was disturbed by an announcement from Ducky.

"The exit is near! Just follow me and Spike!" The swimmer walked beside her brother and each of the assembled dinosaurs were happy to follow her. Even Littlefoot walked rather quickly in the hope of finally leaving the Secret Caverns.

A chorus of cheers and happy sighs filled the grey walls of the cave as the first stars filled the horizon behind the opening to the cavern. Their sight was a giant relief after the evening's many dangers. The sweet, post-rain air filled their lungs after what seemed like an eternity after the time in the depths of the Secret Caverns. Cera was the first one to speak.

"You know; at one point I didn't expect to see this sight anymore… I'm glad I was wrong. It's good to be home soon…" She sighed as she looked at the Valley below her. There were fallen trees here and there and ponds formed by pools of skywater dotted the battered landscape. All in all, the storm had hit the Valley hard but there couldn't be seen any injuries.

"Indeed it is Cera… I wouldn't want to enter the Secret Caverns again for a while…" Littlefoot chuckled at his comment. He was fairly positive that all of his friends agreed with his assessment.

* * *

Even after the events of tonight, Petrie was somewhat afraid to return home. During one of the past storms, his entire nest had been washed away by floods of skywater. Even if his nest was still there, he would be the butt of jokes of his siblings as usual due to his habit of messing things up more than them. Well, that couldn't be helped. Petrie had almost grown accustomed to that. The flier felt the first vestiges of his fears proven wrong when he saw the nest still standing in the cliffs high above the Great Valley.

"Petrie! Where were you?" His mother asked in clear concerns as she saw her son land near her. The other young fliers gathered around Petrie but their expressions were unusually neutral. There was no mocking look to them. They looked almost… relieved.

 _Did something happen me no know about?_

"In the Secret Caverns with me friends! Littlefoot got hurt but we got out eventually." Petrie answered as he waited for an explanation. The adult flier then relaxed considerably as she spoke in a happy voice.

"That's a good thing you were there. The wind almost blew some of us from the Valley as happened to you and Guido before we got back here." The brown fliers' heart froze as he remembered that day and that his siblings had gone that through today. But for now, the storm and the danger was over and the evening was finally starting to give way for the night. They would have time to exchange stories tomorrow but for now, every one of the fliers seemed fatigued. After the eventful day, it was unlikely that anyone would wake too early. As far as he was concerned if his mom wanted to sleep in instead of her usual habit of waking at daybreak then that was fine with him.

* * *

 **Here's the side project I told you about after the last chapter of the Treachery of the Shifting Sands! You might wonder why I suddenly changed to Land Before Time but I've held great interest in this franchise for years. This short story is my entry for Gang of Five's new Fanfiction January Prompt Challenge, a competition of sorts for fanfic writers. I decided to share this story with you even if it's a severe departure from my earlier work. In any case, I hope you enjoy this short story. :)**

 **Now that I've completed this piece of work, I'll return to my main story. I hope the next chapter will be up in a week or so.**


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